The Best Anniversary Present Ever

Our 10th wedding anniversary is coming up this weekend. We talked about all kinds of elaborate plans for our 10th when we were first married. Maybe we’d go back to Mexico, where we got engaged. Or, we could go to Hawaii. I’ve never been and we love beaches. Then, we had children.

I don’t have to tell any parent about the costs involved in parenting. We had our first child right before our third anniversary. Number two showed up a couple of years later. So, considering our new bank balance, we scaled back the plans a little. We considered a weekend jaunt to New Orleans, our favorite city.

Then, we actually got to the year of our tenth anniversary. Our bank balance specifically ordered us to cancel any big trips. A family member owns a condo in the mountains and offered us a chance to use it over our anniversary weekend. It’s a short drive and we could celebrate without a major financial investment. So, of course, my husband has to go on a business trip and leave over the weekend. That’s it for the weekend plans.

At this point, we’re hoping we can schedule a visit to Chipotle to celebrate. However, my mother-in-law is saving the day. She has offered to take the kids for two whole days before my husband leaves. We can’t really go anywhere but we get an entire 48 hours off from the bickering. The kids are close in age, so this is what the average five minutes in my household sounds like.

Child One: She’s looking at me. I want her to stop looking at me.

Child Two: He won’t let me look where I want!

Child One: She’s still looking at me!

Child Two: (mocking tone) She’s still looking at me!

Child One: She’s copying me!

Child Two: She’s copying me!

Child One: Tell her to stop copying me!

Child Two: You can’t tell me what to do!

Child One: I told mommy that you are copying me!

Child Two: I did not! He’s not telling the truth!

Child One: (sobs) She’s calling me a liar!

Child Two: (loud shrieking)

Child One: (loud shrieking)

Mom: (loud shrieking) Go to your room!

Yes, the best gift of all is an entire two days off from this. God bless my mother-in-law.

Christa T. Palmer is a mother of 2 small children who lives in Colorado. She worked in the corporate world for more than a decade, but she was laid off the day after returning from maternity leave. Since then, she has worked as a freelance writer.